Recruiting: Michigan football already targeting prospects for 2016

Jul. 17, 2013

Written by

Tim Sullivan

Detroit Free Press Special Writer

In the “old days” of recruiting, prospects rarely committed prior to their senior years of high school. Scholarship offers, official visits to campus, everything was settled by Signing Day, but it was atypical that the decisions would be made more than six months in advance.

In the late ’90s, Penn State sparked a mini-revolution in the recruiting world by offering scholarships to junior prospects. In the early 2000s, Texas took things a step further by holding February “junior days,” and earning pledges from nearly their entire class a year in advance of their signing.

Under head coach Brady Hoke, Michigan’s coaching staff has been at the forefront of the early recruiting craze. In 2012 and 2013, the Wolverines raced out to the No. 1 class in the nation by mid-summer, than eventually fell back, finishing No. 7 and No. 5, respectively. The 2014 class may follow the same script.

The coaching staff has 14 commits in the 2014 class, more than two-thirds a group expected to reach 18-20 signees. That has meant a shift toward looking at the future. Not only have the coaches looked at the 2015 group (reeling in two early pledges, with dozens more targets offered, several of whom have visited campus), but 2016 is on their minds as well.

Two prospect received official offers from U-M, and many more are on the radar. Downers Grove (Ill.) South offensive lineman Erik Swenson was unofficially offered during the spring of his freshman year, and the offer was finalized in June. Buford (Ga.) tight end Isaac Nauta picked up his offer in March.

Both sophomores have connections to the Michigan program. Swenson has family in the state and grew up a big fan of the Wolverines. U-M and Northwestern stand atop his list in the early stages of recruiting. He already has other options, including Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Nauta’s uncle is former NFL defensive end Joel Smeenge. Smeenge played at Western Michigan under the leadership of U-M defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, and like Swenson, Nauta has family in the state. The young tight end has plenty of other options, including Clemson, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia Tech.

The Wolverines have recruited very well the past three years, and that trend looks to continue in the future, thanks to the staff’s ability to identify top talent early.

Tim Sullivan is the Football Recruiting Editor of The Wolverine magazine and TheWolverine.com. He is also a contributor to national football recruiting coverage on the Rivals.com network. You can follow him on Twitter @TimS_Wolverine.

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